“Aside from Bush 41 or 43, you could argue that Milo has the most recognizable voice in Texas,” Smith said. “We’ll do a variation on Ralph Edwards’ This is Your Life, talking about his career and his historic calls.”

Hamilton has a history with the Bush family, having emceed campaign rallies and fundraisers for the 41st president, as does Smith, who was one of the president’s speechwriters.

Smith is best known for his books Voices of the Game and Voices of Summer about baseball broadcasters. His next book, to be published this summer, is titled A Talk in the Park: Nine Decades of Baseball Tales from the Broadcast Booth, will be in the same vein.

He said he has stories from 116 broadcasters — some from the public record, some contributed by the announcers themselves — representing each Major League Baseball team. The book is dedicated to the late Ernie Harwell, and proceeds will benefit the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Looking back to ‘86

Houston sports history is filled with tales of ones that got away, and none looms larger than Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS between the Mets and Astros at the Astrodome. Darryl Strawberry and Jesse Orosco of the Mets and Bob Knepper of the Astros join Bob Costas and Tom Verducci to rehash the 16-inning ordeal at 6 p.m. Sunday on MLB Network’s 20 Greatest Games series.

Mets-Astros, which ranks fifth on the list of memorable games over the last half-century, is the second Astros game on the list, joining Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS against the Phillies, another one that got away, at No. 18.

Not surprisingly, Astros ace Mike Scott, who would have started Game 7, plays a significant role in the discussion.

“I knew if we had to go to Game 7, there was no way we were going to beat Scott,” Strawberry said. “He had already got in our heads so bad, we were so frustrated with that fact that we were going to have to face him again and that challenge. We just knew we weren’t capable of beating Scott.”

Regarding the long-held allegations that Scott was scuffing the baseball, Knepper said, “Everybody said everybody knew it. … I think you’d have to ask Mike to get the low-down, but I would say, yeah, he was.”

And as for the impact of losing the game, Knepper said, “For too many times after that, I let that game define me because it was such a disappointment not to have finished that game out.

Four DVRs, no waiting

The Padres are in town this weekend, accompanied by veteran broadcaster Dick Enberg, who returned to baseball last year after a 25-year absence to call San Diego games on TV.

Enberg, a former college professor, said he enjoys seeing players who have taken advantage of their studies while playing college baseball. He said he sees players these days completing crossword puzzles in the clubhouse. In the old days, he joked, some players would struggle to fill in a three-letter word for canine. ...

Pat Hughes’ Baseball Voices collection, which includes CD tributes to Milo Hamilton, Jack Buck, Harry Kalas and others, is now available in digital form via Amazon.com and iTunes. … ESPN’s E:60 at 6 p.m. Tuesday includes a feature on Davis graduate Carl Crawford of the Red Sox visiting his old neighborhood just north of downtown Houston. …

The 49ers have parted ways with radio analyst and former linebacker Gary Plummer in the wake of his comments to a San Jose radio station in which he described how team employees used to procure women for players when he played for the team in the 1990s.

However, Plummer, who worked for the team’s radio network for 13 years, told the San Jose Mercury-News he was fired because of his critical comments about the current 49ers’ performance on the field. “It (the racy interview) was a convenient excuse to get rid of somebody who told the truth,” he told the newspaper. …

As residents of a town that lost a team, you might consider checking out on YouTube the teary farewells of Sacramento Kings announcers Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds after the team’s final game in what likely will be its last season in Sacramento. The broadcast closed with a montage of Kings highlights to the background of Love Song by Tesla.

“For these fans, the Kings mean everything and I feel the same,” Napear told the Sacramento Bee. “I live this. So does (broadcast partners Reynolds and Gary Gerould). I have my personal family and the Kings family. For seven months a year, I see the Kings more than my family.” …

Peter Remington, general manager since March 2009 of Cumulus’ Houston radio stations, including KFNC (97.5 FM), is leaving to assume other duties with Cumulus. Cumulus executive Donna Baker will move to Houston from Kansas City to oversee Cumulus stations KFNC, KRBE (104.1 FM), and KHJK (103.7 FM).

“Local radio is looking up,” Remington said. “ESPN is a national brand, which has helped (KFNC), and our format has gotten tighter with A.J. Hoffman and Fred Faour in midday and Carl Dukes and Julie Takahashi and Dave Tepper in afternoons, and we’ve had victories like picking up the Texas Bowl. Plus, sports sounds better on FM.” …

Bill Byrne on his weekly blog on AggieAthletics.com regarding the Texas-Texas A&M football game: “I was as surprised as you to learn that the game was staying on Thanksgiving night, but I certainly was not disappointed.” …

Look to see some new faces on ESPN’s Longhorn Network, according to programming chief Dave Brown. When I asked if we could expect to see familiar ESPN faces on the channel, he said, “We will hire and develop our talent, but I do look forward to cameo appearances from our college football and basketball talent. Don’t be surprised to see that.” …

Jim Nantz is taking the weekend off after his Final Four/Masters back-to-back, so Bill Macatee will anchor CBS’ coverage of the Valero Texas Open from San Antonio at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. … Former Spring standout Josh Beckett of the Red Sox is the subject of CBS Sports Network’s One2One interview show at 7:30 p.m. today. …

FoxSportsHouston.com will have webcasts of the Klein Collins-Tomball baseball game at 7 p.m. today and the UIL boys and girls soccer state finals on Saturday. …

ABC’s weekend NBA playoff games are Heat-76ers at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Hornets-Lakers at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will call both games. … NBA TV, which is now up to 55.2 million TV households, says it will air at least four playoff games. …

Mike Mayock will replace Matt Millen and Joe Theismann on NFL Network’s Thursday night games, according to SI.com, which also reported that the network is actually considering replacing Bob Papa on play by play with Gus Johnson. …

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel returns at 9 p.m. Tuesday with stories on Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies, doctors who treat pro athletes who suffer from mental or physical challenges after retirement (hosted by Armen Keteyian in his return to Real Sports), competitive cheerleading for girls ages 5 through 8 and Paralympian Marlon Shirley. …

Fox Sports NASCAR anchor Mike Joy received the Henry T. McLemore Motorsports Journalism award at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame dinner in Talladega, Ala. … Versus has the Notre Dame spring football game at 1 p.m. Saturday. …

ESPN will trim back its on-site presence at the NFL Draft in New York, where Chris Berman, Jon Gruden, Mel Kiper Jr., Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and Suzy Kolber will broadcast April 28 and 29. Trey Wingo, Trent Dilfer, Kiper and Todd McShay will host April 30. …

Remember how it appeared at one point that ESPN was going to take over the world with local websites. Wednesday marked the two-year anniversary of the company’s first site in Chicago, but it hasn’t launched anything lately to join sites in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Boston and New York.